DeAngelo Tyson isn't exactly known for his hands or ball skills.
But the second-year defensive lineman put his athleticism on display with a key play in Monday night's win over the Detroit Lions. He made an over-the-shoulder, juggling catch on a deflected pass by Haloti Ngata for the first interception of his career, setting the Ravens up for a critical field goal.
"Defensive linemen don't really have a chance to do that, so it was very exciting from the point of being my first interception," Tyson said. "Also, it was very exciting that we got the win."
While Tyson got plenty of praise from his teammates for the interception, he also took some razzing for not pitching the ball to cornerback Jimmy Smith on the return. Smith was in the open field with plenty of room to run when Tyson made the interception and fell to the ground.
"That was absolutely six points if he would have tossed it," Smith joked after the
game. "But I'm happy he came up with the turnover."
When Tyson's teammates came over to him on the bench to congratulate and heckle him about the interception, he joked that he's not on "the list" of defensive players allowed to pitch the ball on a turnover.
"They have this so-called list of guys who can pitch it, and I didn't think I was on that list, so that was my excuse," he said. "That's the Ed Reed list."
Before Monday's game, Tyson had yet to notch a turnover during his professional or college career at Georgia. He had to go all the way back to his high school days to think about the last time he had his hands on the ball.
"I actually scored a touchdown in JV football off of a blocked punt," Tyson said. "That kind of fell into my hands like the interception did, where it bounced up and fell into my arms. Then I just kept running."
The interception was arguably the biggest play in Tyson's career, and was another sign that he's solidifying himself as a quality reserve lineman in the rotation. Tyson has six tackles and two sacks on the year, and has provided good depth for the talented defensive front.
"I'm very pleased with this year," Tyson said. "We have a great group of guys who fight, and when you have a great group of guys that's together, nobody can stop that."
